Garage door



1M 24,, W o. L. DAUTRICK GARAGE DOOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 2, 1946INVENTOR. 02am /7 6 g S T Q Q 6 g L 2 00 2 Z M w W 0. L. DAUTRICK GARAGEDOOR 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Film Aug. 2, 1946 INVENTOR.

Patentecl Jan. 24, 1950 GARAGE DOOR @wen ll. Dautrick, Detroit, Mich,assignor of onehalf to Stewart J.

Dautrick, Detroit, Mich.; said Stewart J. lllautrick, executor of saidOwen L. Dautrick, deceased, assignor, by direct and mesne assignments,to Robert H. Wendt, Chicago, Ell.

Application August 2, 1946, Serial No. 688,046

41 Claims. l

The present invention relates to garage doors, and is particularlyconcerned with the provision of an improved garage door of the overheadtype.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of an improvedgarage door structure which is adapted to eifect a tight seal by flatlyengaging the inside of the door frame.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved garagedoor structure .of the overhead type which is easy to install, cheaperto manufacture, requires a minimum amount of head room, and whichmaintains all parts of the moving door inside the garage so that thelower edge of the door does not project toward the user when it is beingopened, as is the case with some doors of the prior art.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved doorguiding and supporting structure by means of which an overhead door maybe held in tight engagement with the inside of the door frame, or it maybe moved away from the door frame and upwardly by the user, with aminimum amount of effort, and requiring only a minimum amount of headroom.

Another object of the invention is the provision of improved overheadgarage door hardware which is adapted to be manufactured more cheaplyand to be more easily installed than the doors of the prior art, andwhich may therefore be manufactured at a price within the range of avast number of users.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved overheadgarage door utilizing only two door sections, which involves the use ofless door hardware and cheaper woodwork, and which is, nevertheless,sturdy, weathertight, and adapted to be used for a long period of timewithout necessity for repair or replacement of any of its parts.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and the accompanying drawings, in which similarcharacters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the severalviews.

Referring to the drawings, of which there are two sheets:

Fig. 1 is a rear elevational view of an overhead garage door structureembodying the invention. showing the door in closed position.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view showing the door n full lines in openposition and in dotted lines in the course of being opened.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the plane of the line3-3 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows, showing thearrangement of the track and supporting rollers for the upper edges ofthe door sections.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentaryvertical sectional view taken on the plane of theline 6-8 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows, showing thearrangement of the tracks at a point just above the lower door section.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on the plane ofthe line 5-5 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows, showingthe arrangement of the tracks and rollers at the bottom of the lowerdoor section.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical elevational view, with the track inpartial section, showing the roller and track arrangements at one of thelower corners of the lower door section.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, it indicates, in its entirety, the overheadgarage door and its upporting structure which preferably includes a pairof door sections it and i2. By reducing the number of door sections to aminimum, such as two, the amount of hardware required, such as hinges,is substantially reduced, and the two door sections it and it may bejoined by a plurality of standard hinges 53, M, 85.

The two door sections it and it may be substantially identical instructure, each comprising a frame it provided with a plurality ofpanels l7, and the widest part of the frame of the upper section i i maybe turned uppermost, while the widest part of the frame of the lowersection 52 may be turned downwardly to engage the sill. The size of thedoor section assembly H and i2 is preferably such that it overlaps theedge of the door frame it, which is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, onboth sides and the top of the frame, and by means of my improvedstructure the door assembly may be brought into tight sealing engagementwith the door frame at all points when the door is closed.

In order to support and guide the door sections from suitable tracks thesections are provided with a plurality of roller assemblies, and theroller assemblies are indicated at iQ-H in Fig. 1. The roller assembliesi9; 20, 22 and 23 may be identical in construction, as they are intendedto engage the same track. The tracks for the rollers comprise twoassemblies on each side of the door, such as the track assembly 25, forguiding the lower part of the lower door section 42 and the trackassembly 26 for guiding the upper section and the upper part of thelower door section.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that track assembly 25 extendsvertically of the door frame just inside the frame, while the trackassembly 26 is disposed inwardly of the track 25 adjacent the upper partof the door frame, and, also, track 26 extends diagonally upward andhorizontally below the ceiling of the garage. Each of the tracks 25 and26 may be substantially identical in construction on each side of thedoor, except that they are turned with the open side of the channelsopposing each other.

Referring again to the roller assemblies I9, 20, 22, 23, each of thesemay be substantially as shown in Fig. 4, where the roller assembly 26 isshown on a larger scale than that of Fig. 1. This roller assemblyincludes a supporting bracket 21 having an attaching flange 28 and aroller supporting flange 29. This attaching flange 28 has a pair ofbores 36 for receiving the screws 3| by means of which it is attached tothe lower door section |2 adjacent the upper edge of the section.

By locating the roller assemblies 28 and 23 adjacent the upper edge ofthe lower section these rollers may be used to guide not only the upperedge of the lower section but the lower edge of the upper section, asthe sections are hinged together at this point.

The roller supporting flange 29 is provided with a cylindrical throughbore 32 which is countersunk at 33 on its inner face so that the reducedcylindrical portion 34 of the roller pin 35 may be riveted over on theinside of the bracket 21 in the countersunk portion 33 of the aperture32. The roller pin 35 may consist of a substantially cylindrical metalmember having the reduced cylindrical portion 34 at its inner end to besecured to the bracket 21.

The bracket flange 29 is clamped between an annular shoulder 36 and theriveted portion of the roller pin. At its opposite end the roller pinhas another annular shoulder 31 serving as a thrust bearing for theroller 38 and it has a reduced cylindrical portion 39 serving as atrunnion for the roller.

The reduced portion 39 is preferably formed with a partially circulargroove adapted to receive a retaining spring washer 48, which is splitto spring apart for removal from or insertion into the groove. Thewasher 40 projects from the groove in the roller pin 35 sufficiently toserve as a thrust bearing for the outer side of the roller 88.

Roller 38 may consist of a circular metal member having flat sides 4|and 42 and having a partially circular edge 43. Each roller has athrough bore 44 within which is held, by friction, a bearing bushing 45which is pressed into place, and which preferably comprises a bronzebearing of the type which is porous, and which is impregnated withlubricant as well as including graphite in its composition, so that thebearing bushing 45 is constantly self-lubricating.

Bearing bushing 45 has an inner cylindrical bore 46 serving as thebearing for engaging the reduced cylindrical portion 39 which comprisesthe trunnion of the roller pin 35. Thus the rollers are supported forrotation with a minimum friction at all times, and never requirelubrication throughout the natural life of the garage door.

The width of the roller supporting flange 29 of the bracket 21 is suchthat it supports the roller 38 inwardly of the door frame and of thetrack 25 in position to be located in the track 26 when the upper doorsection II lies flatly against the door frame l8, and the upper part ofthe face of the lower door section I2 is also in engagement with theedge of the door frame Hi. The inner edge 56 of each roller supportingflange 29 may be beveled at its lower side merely for the purpose ofsaving material, as the full width of this flange 28 is required only atthe point where the roller pin is supported.

The track 26 is shown in section in Fig. 4 and Fig. 3. It consists of avertical portion 41, a rearwardly extending diagonal portion 48, and. anupper horizontal portion 49. Each of these track sections "-48 is of thesame shape in crosssection, as shown in Fig. 3. including a lower andinner partially circular track groove portion 50, a flat body flange 5|,and a right angular retaining flange 52.

The partially cylindrical groove portion 50 is joined to the body flangeby a diagonally extending track portion 53, and the groove portion 56also extends diagonally and outwardly at 54. The diagonal portion 53 ofthe track section locates the roller 38 inwardly of the body flange 5|by locating the groove 50 inwardly sufllciently to cause the end of theroller pin to have a clearance with respect to the body flange 5|.

The right angular flange 52 has a clearance with respect to the roller,38, but it prevents the roller from getting out of the groove 50 of thetrack. The track section is, of course, open on its inner side to permitthe roller pin to extend inwardly from the roller to the rollersupporting bracket which carries the door.

The track sections 41 and 48 are joined by a spacer plate 56 which alsoserves as a supporting bracket, and may therefore be called atrackjoining bracket. This bracket (Fig. 2) has an attaching flange 51which is at right angles to its body flange 58 and which has aperturesfor securement to the door frame in a manner similar to the flange 28 ofthe bracket 21 (Fig. 4). Its body flange 58 is of sumclent widthinwardly to engage the track section 26, a short track corner 59 oftrapezoidal shape in elevation, and track section 48.

The body 58 of bracket 56 may be spot-welded to the body flanges 5| ofeach of these two track members 26 and 59.

For convenience in shipping, the sections 48 and 49 are preferably madeseparable from the sections 26 and 25 at the bracket 56, and this may beaccomplished by providing the body of the track section 48 with aplurality of integral, punched-out metal tabs, for example, three ofthem, which pass through complementary rectangular apertures in thebracket 56, and which are bent over to secure the track section 48 tothe bracket 56.

The short track corner 59 and the track section 26 have their bodyflanges welded to the bracket 56, and the tracksection 25 may also haveits body flange welded to the bracket 56. The bracket 6| at the loweredge of section 26 comprises a right-angle bracket having an attachingflange 62 for securement to the door frame by means of a single woodscrew or other attaching member, and its supporting flange 63 extendsinwardly at right angles and is spot-welded to the body flange of thetrack section 25 and of the track section 26. Thus the track sections 25and 26 are supported on the door frame parallel to each other and inproper position to support the door. by means of its rollers, on eachside of the door frame.

The track section 48 extends diagonally inward and upward toward theceiling of the garage,

and is secured by means of a track spacer plate 641 to the track section49. The track spacer plate is of substantially trapezoidal form, but hasa depending flange portion 65 with a through bore 66 adapted to be usedfor receiving the track spacer rod 61 (Fig. 1).

This track spacer rod extends into the spacer plates 64' of the track oneach side of the door,

and has a reduced threaded portion 68 at each end which is provided witha pair of nuts 89, 10 (Fig. l) threaded into proper position on thereduced threaded end 88 to clamp the spacer plates 84% and hold the twotracks at this point in proper spaced relation to each other. Thus thetracks are made more rigid and are held at the proper spacing for therollers of the door.

It should be noted that the track sections 26, I8, 49. and the shortcorner section 59, are all properly beveled at their ends to fit theadjacent sections, and when the body flanges are welded to the spacerplates the sections are held in one rigid assembly.

The upper track section 49 may be supported by additional brackets ll,12 welded to the body flanges of the channels and having attachingflanges secured to transverse beams l3, 14 carried by the side walls ofthe garage, or held by depending wood members carried by the ceiling.The section 48 of the track is then given support from thefront doorframe and from the section Many diflerent modes of support of the uppertrack sections 48, 49 may be used in different installations, but thesupporting members should preferably be on the lower side of the tracksection W so as not to interfere with the door sections which are shownin dotted-line position in Fig. 2.

The lower roller assemblies 2i and 2% are identical in construction butoppositely disposed, and each one includes, a roller bracket 15 (Fig. 6)having an attaching flange It with a pair of apertures for wood screwsfor securement to the lower corner of the lower door section 02. Thebracket it also carries a roller supporting flange ill which has aroller pin 18 riveted thereto and constructed substantially as describedwith respect to the roller pin 35.

Roller pin it, however, has a cylindrical surface l9 serving as atrunnion for the roller 8t which is preferably of the flanged type,having a cylindrical rolling surface Bi and a radially projecting flange82. Like the rollers 38, the roller til is preferably provided with asimilar self-lubricating bearing bushing 45 providing for constantself-lubrication.

Roller pin it is long enough also to support a lower cable clip 83!which may be of substantially U-shape and have its depending legsprovided with cylindrical apertures for receiving the roller pin it oneach side of the roller 80. The legs of the cable clip 88 are preferablyspaced from a spring washer M in a groove in substantially the samemanner as described with respect to the roller pin 35 of Fig. 4.

Cable clip 83 has its yoke 86 provided with an inwardly projectin slotB'l terminating in a cylindrical aperture 88 for receiving and securingthe end of a cable 89 which carries a frustoconical metal ferrule 90.The ferrule itself preferably engages in the cylindrical bore 88, thussaving the cable from wear, and the size of the 6 slot 81 is sufllcientto pass the cable but not the ferrule.

The cable may be secured to the ferrule by" providing the ferrule ofsuch size that the cable will pass in at its smaller aperture, afterwhich Each channel preferably comprises a yoke 9| and a pair of inwardlyprojecting side flanges The side flanges 92, 93 are spaced sufficientlyto receive the cylindrical portion 8| of roller 80, and the side flangesare of sufllcient width to receive the assembly of the roller 80,

its pin 18 and cable clip 83 when the roller flange 82 engages the edgesof the side flanges 92, 93. Thus the track sections 25 are adapted tosupport and guide the rollers 01" the roller assemblies 2! and 24 at thebottom of the lower door section I2.

As the lower door section l2 pivots from the full-line position of Fig.1 to the dotted-line position of Fig. 2 the lower outer corner 94 (Fig.2) moves outward, and if the track 25 at which the rollers happen to beat the time of this pivotal movement wereimmediately adjacent the doorframe, the pivotal motion of the lower section l2 would not bepermitted.

In order to have the door flatly against the door frame when it isclosed, and also to permit door frame, the track section 25 ispreferably provided with a diagonally and outwardly extending offsetportion 95 adjacent its lower end and terminat in a parallel, short,lower sec-' to clear the door frame.

At the upper end and middle of the doorassembly, roller assemblies I9and 22,-20 and 28,

the offset 95 in the tracks 25.

It should also be noted that no such offset is required for the lowerouter corner 9'! of the upper door section II because this door sectionThe assembly is preferably provided with a s mple and economical form ofcounterbalance for holding the doors in their uppermost position andlifting a portion of the door weight when it i: being opened. The amountof counterbalance may be suitably adjusted so that when the door isunlocked it will automatically open, or it may be adjusted so that thedoor will stay in any position to which it is moved, but the springswill assist in the opening of the door.

For this purpose a pair of coil springs 90, 99 are provided, one on eachside of the door frame, and the springs are preferably of sufficientlength when expanded to extend substantially the full length of the doorframe, as shown in Fig. 1. When contracted they have sufllcient tensileforce to support a part of the weight of the door, or, in some cases, tolift the door if the lock is released.

Each of the chains I may be hooked to a a hook formation or a loop,which is preferably attached to a chain I00. The chain provides aconvenient method of spring tension adjustment, as it may be made longenough to take care of any tension condition.

Each of the chains I00 may be hooked to a bracket IOI which has itsattaching flange I02 secured to the door frame by wood screws, and has aright-angle flange I03 provided with a hook. The bracket IOI may alsoserve as a support for the track section 25, having another supportingflange I04 adjacent the yoke 9| of the track section spot-welded. Thusthe bracket IOI supports the lower section of the track 25 and servesfor attachment of the counterbalancing of the chain I00 whichcounterbalances the door.

The counterbalancing mechanism for the door sections includes, inaddition to the springs 99, 99, and the attaching means for the lowerend of the spring, sheaves I09, H0 at the end of each spring, the cablesIII, H2, and the supporting pulleys H3, H4, Fig. 1.

The supporting pulleys H3, H4 (Fig. 2) may consist of a pair ofcircular, stamped sheet metal members formed with diverging flanges toprovide a groove for the cable H2, and with a central recess forsupporting a self-lubricating bearing 45 of the same type as that usedon the rollers. The two pulleys are alike, and each is supported upon abracket II5 (Fig. 2) consisting of a pair of sheet metal strips, each ofwhich has attaching flanges IIS secured by the same wood screws to thedoor frame, and each of which has a body flange H1, III! of the samelength, but the legs of these members are of different lengths, so thatthe body flanges II! and H8 are spaced sufficiently to provide space forthe pulleys H9 or II4.

Each pulley is pivoted upon a cylindrical pin H9 which is provided atits ends with grooves for thrust washers 40, as described with respectto the roller 38 (Fig. 4). The sheaves I09, III! are each supported uponan identical pulley link, and these pulley sheaves may be of similarconstruction to the pulleys H3, H4 and provided with a similar pin H9,

The pulley link I in each case comprises a pair of strips of sheet metalspaced at one end for reception of the sheave I09, welded together atacentral portion I2I and spaced again at an end portion I22 forinsertion of the hooked end of spring 98, 99 on a transverse pin, suchas a cotter pin. The cables III, II2 are arranged the same way on eachside of the door, and each one has its fixed end I23 secured to abracket IIS by being provided with a ferrule 90 substantially asdescribed and arranged in Fig. 6. From this point the cable passesdownward around pulley I09 (Fig. l). upward around pulley H3,and'downward in the channels 25 at each side of the door for attachmentto the clip 80, as

25 to which this flange may be 8 shown in Fig. 6, at the lower edge ofthe lower door section I2.

The operation of the door mechanism is as follows: When the door.sections are in the position of Fig. 1 the outer face of these doorsections presses flatly against the edge of the door frame I8, effectinga weather-tight closure, and exposing nothing but the outer face of thedoor sections and the handles which are usually provided.

The door may be provided with any desired type of lock mechanism. Whenthe lock mechanism has been released the operator may lift upon one ofthe handles provided on the outside of the door, and his effort will beassisted by means of the springs 98, 99. As he lifts the door, thebottom of the lower section l2 will be moved away from the door frame I8by the offset in the track sections 25, so that the corner 94 of thedoor can clear the door frame whenever the lower section l2 begins topivot.

The lower edges of the lower section I2 are guided by the rollerassemblies 2I and 24 in the channels 25, to move upward in a verticaldirection. The upper edge of the lower door section I2 is guided by theroller assemblies 20 and 23 in the channels 26, to move upward in avertical direction. The upper portion of the door section II is guidedby the roller assemblies I9 and 22 from the vertical position in whichthis section contacts the edge of the door frame I8 into the trackcorner 59 and diagonally rearwardly and upwardly extending track 49, sothat this upper door section moves into the dotted-line position shownat I2 in Fig. 2.

As the upward movement of the door section continues the rollerassemblies I9 and 22 move over into the horizontal track 49, followed bythe roller assemblies 20 and 23 which are flnally locatedin thishorizontal track section 49 also when the bottom door section I2 reachesthe horizontal dotted-line position shown at the top of Fig. 2. Thus thepresent construction provides for the complete lifting of the two doorsections into a horizontal position on the ceiling, but it will beobserved that a minimum amount of head room is required above thetracks.

When the door is to be closed the operator need only grasp the edge ofthe lower door section I2 or the handle, and pull down on this edge andthe operation is reversed, the lower door section having its lower edgeguided by the vertical tracks 25, and the rest of the roller assembliesbeing guided by the tracks 41, 48, 49 to the fully closed andweather-tight position.

The present door construction is adapted to seal flatly against theinside of the door frame at all sides and at the top. The doors stayinside the garage, and are not projecting in front of the door frame,and when the operator lifts the door the bottom of the door does notproject toward the operator, which is an undesirable feature of many ofthe doors of the prior art.

The present construction is easy to install; it utilizes a minimumamount of hardware; and the woodwork is cheaper to construct because itinvolves only two sections. All of the parts of the mechanism may bemade either from standard stock sections or sheet metal stampings, and aminimum amount of machine work is required. It is thus adapted to bemanufactured at a low cost and sold within a price range which makes itavailable to a vast number of users who could not afford the moreexpensive 9 and complicated types of garage doors of the prior art.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of the scope of theappended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

l. A counter-balancing and guiding assembly for roller-supported garagedoors, comprising an upright metal channel, a U bracket having onechannel, a tapered ferrule carried by the other end of said cable,clearance with the flanges of' said channel, an angle bracket forsecurement to the door panel, and having a stub shaft supporting saidroller and engaging inside the yoke of said channel,

gage the tapered side of said ferrule.

2. A counter-balancing and guiding assembly for roller-supported garagedoors, according to claim 1, in which a second channel is provided forguiding the upper part of the door, said second channel comprisingstraight sections extending upwardly, diagonally, and horizontally, andmeans carried by the door at its upper edge to be guided by said secondchannel.

10 3. A counter-balancing and guiding assembly for roller-supportedgarage doors, according to claim 1. in which a second channel isprovided guided by said second channel, comprising a toroidvrimmedroller carried by an angle bracket and stub shaft, said second channelhaving its inner part grooved complementary to said latter roller toprevent possibility of the roller dropping out of the channel.

4. A counter-balancing and guiding assembly for roller-supported garagedoors, according to diagonally, by the door movement on opening is tofree the door of its frame.

OWEN L. DAUTRICK. REFERENCES CITED The following references are ofrecord in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,530,762 Dautrick Mar. 24, 19252,023,664 Clark et a1 Dec. 10, 1935 2,042,158 McKinney May 26, 19362,066,558 Dautrick Jan. 5, 1937 2,227,571 Clark Jan. 7, 1941

